i'm 23 years old, been a smoker for 8 years old and was having a weird cough for some weeks, so I went to the doctor and had a spirometry done
if I remember correctly, my FEV1 is 120% and my FVC is 127%
but the doctor said to me that my FEV1/FVC predicted is 1 or 2% lower than the normal result and put me on a treatment with symbicort
I'm obviously stopping smoking because I'm really scared, but is there any chance I already have COPD?
Hello
I not certain about those values you gave, but he has indicated that values were found to be below the expected.
And has started you on Symbicort. Symbicort has two medications in it. One to reduce inflammation and one to relax the muscles needed to breathe.
This medication is used with people who have asthma &/or COPD which can co exist.
To answer your question, yes, there is a chance you could already have COPD. Or asthma. Or both.
Do NOT smoke again. Smoking debilitates and kills.
Ask any of us on this board of what it brings.
Call your physician's office and speak with the clinic nurse and ask her or make another physician appointment and ask then.
Lill
my doctor did not say I had copd. she just said I need ti stop smoking to see if my results get better
I thought that is what the doctor was doing~ giving you a trial to see if the medication helped or didn't.
However, my answer was in reply to the question you asked;
"I'm obviously stopping smoking because I'm really scared, but is there any chance I already have COPD?"
My answer remains the same.
Lill
I agree with Lill - whatever is happening or happens, the best thing you can do is give up smoking tobacco. Now that a range of nicotine products are available - including the very effective and 95% less harmful e-cigs - its now a lot easier to give up this habit.
I would ask for another spiromety to be done in a few weeks time when the coughs gone. If you've had a bit of a chest infection it's bound to have affected the results.
But even if it is COPD, it sounds as though its border-line, so I wouldn't fret too much. You're young .. and otherwise healthy, and you should be just fine if you DON'T START SMOKING AGAIN! You've had a wake-up call .. heed it.
Vape if necessary .. but please don't go back on the fags. They WILL kill you.
Exercise every day (even if it's just a brisk 10 minute walk), eat healthily, take your meds, learn to breath properly, (lots of Youtube videos on breathing properly) and DON'T stress out. The very WORSE thing you can do is worry about it. Get out there and enjoy your life!
Best of luck!
Jo
In December 2015, Harvard University released a study.
It can be found in the Journal Sentinel, December 2015, titled 'Harvard study confirms dangers of vaping"
The first paragraph is such;
"Harvard University scientists are calling for "urgent action" after their federally funded study confirmed dangerous, lung-destroying chemicals are commonly found in the liquids used in electronic cigarettes and other vaping devices."
Anything other than clean air is dangerous to inhale.
Lill
"
Of course it's better to inhale nothing at all .. you'e right lill. But my point is that vaping is infinitely safer than smoking, and is an option for those struggling to give up the dreaded weed. And in any case, many vaping liquids these days do not contain 'diacetyl'.. the compound mentioned in the study you quoted.
Jo
On reading what you have communicated ikwz, FEV and FVC amount seem above average to me, ie excellent measurements.
But if your doctor said you are 1 or 2% lower than the normal result expected that may be, but to me your being prescribed symbicort doesn't seem to add up with what you have communicated although I suspect your doctor knows what may be right for you, perhaps your doctor feels you have uncontrolled asthma which needs treating, since you mention to lill that your doctor has not indicated you have COPD, either way, asthma, or any other respiratory or health issue, stopping smoking is very good advice.
Not sure if you are saying you have been a smoker for 8 years, or a smoker since you were 8 years old, if the latter there is every chance you have damaged your lungs through smoking at such a young age before your lungs / body was fully developed.
On the other hand with such good FEV1 and FVC percent you are doing very well. For a comparison, my brother lives in London (he is much older than you) his respiratory nurse says most people living in London will have a reduced lung function of around 2% due the the pollution levels in the city.
If you have a copy of your spirometry results you may want to double check them using patient uk spirometry calculator, just include your age height, FEV FvC etc.
https://patient.info/doctor/spirometry-calculator
For example a 23 year old female, height of 162 cm with FEV and FVC same measurement as your own would calculate as normal.
Hope you find the symbicort helps with your cough and you are successful in stopping smoking so that in another 23 years you can avoid any diagnosis of COPD.
Best wishes V
when spirometry results are normal, it would indicate you do not have COPD.
Thanks for replying Jo.
We are allowed to agree to disagree.
all the best!
Lill
The other things I thoroughly detest about vaping are that it perpetuates the cig-holding habit/hand to mouth motion habit/putting something unhealthful in the mouth habit, and that it often means ex-smokers cannot avoid seeing others who look like they're smoking in places which are officially non-smoking zones. All this goes to that slippery slope concept.
After 7 smoke-free years, I still have to be very careful about watching people smoke or vape, whether that's for real or in a movie or tv show. I know from my 1st "quit" that being near or watching someone else smoking is dangerous for me, especially if the smoker appears to enjoy it even 1/2 as much as I always did.
So my opinion is that no one should use vaping as an attempt at quitting.
Hello Aitarg
It does not personally bother me to see anyone smoking or vaping at all...I do not miss smoking in any way and nothing triggers me to want one.
But.
It is more and more apparent this vaping is not healthy. Lungs were not made to intake any polluted air, no matter where it comes from.
The province of Ontario in Canada has banned vaping and Ecigarettes in all places that are banned from smoking.
The largest concern outside of health , is the impression it places upon minor, it 'normalizes' smoking and that is just terrible.
There are many varieties of smoking cessaation aids, and they can be used in combination with each other to work.
The average attempts at quitting successfully is six attempts.
There are even free phone apps that aid in quitting and they work well!!
The both of us can be proud and grateful to have rid ourselves of the filthy beast!!
Lill